Race Car Rookie Of The Year Tests Baltimore’s Tracks

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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — On one of the coldest days of the year, the streets of Baltimore felt the heat of burning rubber. A race car that will compete in the Baltimore Grand Prix took a test run.

Mary Bubala shows us one of racing’s brightest young stars who was behind the wheel.

In the heart of Baltimore, the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year took a spin on Charm City’s streets, testing the pavement months before the Baltimore Grand Prix gets underway on Labor Day weekend.

Rookie of the Year, Simona de Silvestro, was behind the wheel of that speeding car. She greeted Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The mayor actually got the race car started for Silvestro.

“There are going to be thousands of people lining the streets, excited about these race cars speeding around the streets. We are going to be on the international stage. It’s going to be great,” said Rawlings-Blake.

Simona and HVM Racing signed a three-year corporate sponsorship deal and that’s great news for the future of the up- and-coming driver.

“I started when I was six in go-carts, but it became really serious, like three years ago,” said Silvestro.

Silvestro will race in Baltimore on a track that runs down Pratt Street, to Light and Conway Streets, cuts through the stadiums, then onto Russell Street. The cars will reach speeds up to 180 miles per hour.

CEO of IndyCar Racing Randy Bernard says he believes Baltimore will become one of the top three events in their series.

“I have never seen so many tickets sold in such a short time in any event that I have ever produced, and I have been around a lot of big events. The momentum here has been outstanding and I want to give the city of Baltimore tremendous credit,” said Bernard.

The Baltimore Grand Prix roars into town Labor Day weekend. It will be broadcast to more than 200 countries worldwide.